Liam Paro Wants Ryan Garcia’s WBC Title — But Garcia Controls the Welterweight Queue

Liam Paro has the IBF welterweight title and a straightforward plan for the beginning of 2027. He wants to complete another defense before pursuing a unification fight with WBC champion Ryan Garcia, preferably in Australia but potentially in Las Vegas.

The problem is that the division surrounding Paro is anything but straightforward.

Garcia may have another unification available against WBA super champion Teofimo Lopez. Boxing News reported on October 15 that Mike Coppinger, citing unnamed sources, said Garcia and Lopez were in advanced talks for a fight during the first quarter of 2027. That matchup has not been officially announced, and no date or venue has been confirmed.

Lopez also has an obligation of his own. The WBA ordered him to face WBA champion Jack Catterall and established a negotiation period scheduled to expire on October 22. That leaves three champions, one mandatory challenger and several competing routes through a welterweight queue that remains unsettled.

Paro owns one of the division’s most important belts. Garcia, however, may possess the power to determine which belt—and which opponent—matters most next.

Paro Wants One More Defense Before Pursuing Garcia

Paro told Fox Sports Australia on October 14 that he is targeting an IBF title defense against a top-15 opponent in late November or early December. If that fight happens and Paro retains his championship, he ideally wants Garcia early next year.

Neither stage of that plan is finalized.

Fox Sports Australia stressed that Paro’s next defense remains unsigned, meaning there is not yet a confirmed opponent, date or location. The proposed Garcia fight is even less developed. It is a target publicly identified by Paro, not a scheduled unification bout.

That distinction matters because boxing plans can change before the first contract is signed. Paro still needs the IBF to approve his next opponent, the event must be finalized, and he must successfully defend the title before his preferred route into 2027 remains available.

Paro has at least made his position clear. He wants to remain active rather than wait indefinitely for Garcia, and he is prepared to travel if necessary. He told Fox Sports Australia that Australia would be his preferred location for the unification, but he would also be willing to face Garcia in Las Vegas.

The ambition makes sense. A victory over Garcia would give Paro another world title and the kind of internationally recognizable opponent capable of defining a championship reign. Bringing Garcia to Australia could also turn that opportunity into a major home event.

But wanting the fight and being first in line for it are not the same thing.

Paro can defend his belt, preserve his status and publicly call for the unification. He cannot force Garcia to treat him as the most attractive available option unless a sanctioning-body order or contractual arrangement gives him leverage that does not currently appear to exist.

Garcia May Have a Bigger Unification Available

Boxing News’ report about Garcia and Lopez introduces the clearest potential obstacle to Paro’s plan.

According to the outlet, Coppinger reported that the WBC and WBA champions were in advanced talks for the first quarter of 2027. The report was attributed to unnamed sources, and there has been no official confirmation of a completed agreement.

There is no signed fight, announced date or confirmed venue.

There is also no confirmed statement from Garcia or his team rejecting Paro, placing him on hold or selecting Lopez instead. Any suggestion that Garcia has already made that decision would go beyond the available information.

Still, the reported talks matter because Garcia-Lopez could offer obvious commercial appeal. Both fighters have established profiles beyond the belts they currently hold, and a matchup between them could be presented as a major event as well as a unification fight. That does not make it more legitimate than Garcia-Paro in championship terms, but it could make it more valuable to the promoters, broadcasters and other parties involved.

Boxing News reported that Garcia stopped Conor Benn in the second round in September while making his first defense of the WBC welterweight title. His position after that victory gives him options, and options create leverage.

Paro can offer the IBF championship. Lopez can offer the WBA super title along with the commercial interest attached to his name. If Garcia is comparing potential events rather than simply comparing belts, Paro may not control the decision despite holding exactly the kind of title that should make a unification possible.

Boxing News 24 has argued that Garcia’s commercial options could leave Paro waiting. That is analysis, not evidence of a decision by Garcia’s team. It should not be presented as proof that Paro has already lost his place in the queue.

The reported Garcia-Lopez talks nevertheless give that possibility a credible foundation. Paro’s desired opponent may be considering another champion before Paro has even secured his next defense.

Lopez’s WBA Obligation Could Reshape the Picture

Lopez is not necessarily free to proceed directly into a Garcia fight.

According to the WBA, Lopez defeated Rolando Romero by majority decision on August 22 to become its welterweight super champion. In taking Romero’s position, Lopez also inherited Romero’s mandatory obligation to Catterall.

The WBA formally ordered Lopez to face Catterall on September 22 and opened a 30-day negotiation period ending October 22. That order remains part of the division’s immediate business regardless of the reported conversations involving Garcia.

A report of advanced talks does not erase a mandatory obligation.

The WBA could insist that Lopez face Catterall next. It could authorize an exception that allows Lopez to pursue Garcia first. It could reach another decision concerning the title if Lopez attempts to take a different fight. Until the sanctioning body acts or the parties announce an agreement, none of those outcomes should be treated as settled.

Catterall’s position demonstrates another version of the same problem confronting Paro. Paro owns a world title but may still depend on Garcia choosing him. Catterall holds a mandatory position but may still depend on the WBA enforcing it.

Both men have legitimate sporting claims. Neither appears to control the market.

The October 22 deadline could therefore become the next significant point in the story. If Lopez reaches an agreement with Catterall, Garcia may need to look elsewhere and Paro’s opportunity could become more realistic. If the WBA grants Lopez permission to pursue a unification with Garcia, Paro could be pushed further back. If negotiations end without a clear resolution, the uncertainty may continue.

For now, the order complicates Garcia-Lopez without eliminating it.

The Record Shows Competing Plans, Not a Settled Fight

The sequence of events is more useful than speculation about what any fighter will eventually choose.

According to the WBA, Lopez defeated Romero by majority decision on August 22 and became the organization’s welterweight super champion. Boxing News reported that Garcia stopped Benn in the second round in September and retained the WBC title.

On September 22, the WBA ordered Lopez to negotiate with Catterall. On October 14, Paro publicly outlined his plan to make another IBF defense before pursuing Garcia. One day later, Boxing News carried Coppinger’s report that Garcia and Lopez were in advanced talks for an early-2027 fight.

The WBA’s negotiation deadline is scheduled to arrive on October 22.

That record establishes several possible directions, but it does not establish Garcia’s next opponent. Garcia-Lopez remains an unconfirmed report. Paro-Garcia remains an unsigned target. Lopez-Catterall is an official order, but no completed agreement has been announced in the supplied reporting.

There is also no confirmed evidence that Garcia’s representatives have entered substantive negotiations with Paro’s team. Paro expressing interest publicly is meaningful because it identifies his goal. It is not proof that the other side has accepted the conversation.

The developments that would settle the queue are concrete: confirmation of Paro’s next defense, an official Garcia-Lopez agreement or the collapse of those talks, the WBA’s response after its negotiation period, evidence of actual Garcia-Paro negotiations and, most importantly, Garcia’s next signed fight.

Until then, every proposed route has a limitation.

Paro must secure and win another defense. Lopez must address Catterall and the WBA. Garcia must decide whether his next move is another unification, a different commercial fight or something not yet publicly identified.

The belts organize the possibilities. Contracts will determine the reality.